Lame as Apple's "Power of lightness is" tagline is it does seem apt. The iPad Air is much lighter than the iPad 4 , in fact it's lighter than most other tablets in its class at 469g. It has shed almost 200g, or 29%, of the weight that the iPad 4 carried. That's a massive generational leap.

Very light; Robust and premium design; Excellent screen; Solid battery life; Consummate all-rounder

Storage comes at a premium; No Touch ID

Although every Apple product goes through a well-established four-stage life cycle - introduction, growth, maturity and decline - the same is also true of its product families, which begin by building awareness (introduction), begin to increase in sales through advertising (growth), rocket upwards...

A comprehensively superior replacement for 2012's third- and fourth-generation iPads; packing almost twice as much horsepower and noteworthy extra battery life into a considerably narrower and lighter body.

Industrial design is new to full-sized iPad but highly familiar given last year's iPod touch and iPad mini releases, feeling lighter than past 9.7" iPads but heavier than iPad minis, and still not comfortable for truly extended hand-holding; stands are required yet sold separately.

Since Apple retired the iPad Air, the newer iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro 9.7 would seem the logical choice. But if you're looking to get a quality larger tablet on the cheap, it may still be worth considering an iPad Air. Why?

Whether you like or loathe the company it's hard to dispute that Apple is still the king when it comes to tablets with its market share hovering around the 30% mark just before the release of these new models.

Apple tends to slowly evolve their product lines, instead of making sweeping and drastic changes. I have noticed a trend where users skip a generation because it seems the processor is a bit faster, hardware a bit better, but seldom a WOW factor that compels you to drop everything and buy it.

Smaller Bezel; Does not get as Hot as prior models; Noticeable difference in hues; colors and tones being more defined; Lighter and More Portable; Stereo Speakers; Amazing Battery Life

Still Expensive; Video Quality is on par with 3rd generation iPad; Still no way to bulk delete emails; Camera received no major upgrade

At first glance, the Apple iPad Air 2 is closer to a refresh than a dramatic upgrade compared to its predecessor. From the outside, the tablet computer features the same slim design and aluminum backing used on the first iPad Air.

The Apple iPad Air 2's upgraded A8X chip provides high-end tablet performance

The Air 2 still relies on the same Retina display used in past iPads

The iPad Air is incredibly thin and light, and it's the most comfortable 10-inch tablet we've used. It also comes with a nice boost in performance while maintaining good battery life.

A7 chip offers fast performance; Thinner and lighter than before; Global LTE support; Long battery life

Touch ID not included; Retina display is good; but no longer the best

I wanted to buy a simply and easy to use I pad. I found Apple I pad air as I expected. Straight forward and really easy to use. Good value for money. Would recommend to every one. Arrived on time.

That line was prominently displayed to audiences at Apple's June developer conference and the iPad Air event, during a video about the company's values and commitment to design. "If everyone is busy making everything," the video asks, "how can anyone perfect anything?

Amazingly thin and light; Terrific battery life; Excellent performance; Class-leading app selection; Amazingly thin and light; Terrific battery life; Excellent performance; Class-leading app selection

iOS 7 still glitchy in places; Gets expensive fast; Safari icon remains an abomination; iOS 7 still glitchy in places; Gets expensive fast; Safari icon remains an abomination

With the iPad Air , Apple once again delivers an outstanding tablet . The device both looks and functions as if it were born whole, operating system and software included. The Californian company once again manages to create a device that stands out from the crowd.

Bright, high-contrast display, Excellent color reproduction, Good touchscreen, High-performance SoC, First-class manufacturing, Very long battery life, Fast browser performance, Fit for VoIP audio/video calls, Very good speakers.; The iPad Air is thin and lightweight.

...which are unfortunately poorly positioned, High surface temperatures under load, No current data transfer standards, No Flash support, The iPad's connectivity options are still somewhat meager; Apple should work on this in the future